“A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.” ~ Jane Austen

It was years ago I was in Janice Radway’s class at Duke, reveling in my luck at being the student of the queen of cultural studies whose book about reading romances was the bible for new reader-response criticism. She wrote the definitive literary critique of romance novels. Of course, the class I took turned into a sort of solipsistic exercise in futility—navel-gazing wasn’t working for me—but she was still an awesome scholar.

That being said, I rather enjoy a good romance myself. Jane Austin, Georgette Heyer, Courtney Milan. Nothing wrong with indulging oneself in dreams of a visit to Almack’s and waltzing with a rake of a duke. Natzuka Miliandrovic’s dress for this month’s Shiny Shabby might fit the bill for an in-world romance—a pretty frock with a lovely brocade. Paired with EmpyreanForge’s lovely necklace, it’s a romance-worthy look.

I hate the blogs that start out “Sorry I have been so busy so I missed posting.” So I won’t say that. What I will say is that I have taken a new job in RL, my kid started school, the dog ate some grapes (who knew they were dangerous?), etc etc. Time doth flit!

The SOS Festival is almost over, and I wanted to make a personal remark on their charity of choice. I agreed to be the blogger liaison for the Festival because Doctors Without Borders/Medicines Sans Frontieres is such an important organization in many ways. They bring medical aid to areas where it’s most needed—places like Syria and Afghanistan, yes, but also places like Cote d’Ivoire, Italy, Haiti, and North Korea. The concept of “without borders” is the idea that the organization and medical workers make no decisions about politics, religion, gender, ethnicity—their service is neutral and impartial and not supported financially by any state actors.

A friend of mine in SL was a nurse who had done missions for Medicines Sans Frontieres several times. His latest assignment was in Mauritania, a country he described as almost middle ages in its technology and society. He was there simply to provide vaccines to children and adults—a pretty benign task. However, he had to have guards with him at all times to ensure his safety. In order to volunteer, he needed to obtain time off from his employer—a large European medical hospital—and since he was head of his department—a very large ICU–he needed to make sure things were in place during his absence. Therefore, his volunteered time involved a complicated set of negotiations as well as his own safety—all to make sure children and adults got shots we routinely get at checkup in the West.

I think it’s important to consider the people being helped, of course. But also imagine the many medical workers who volunteer for these positions and they time they donate. When you donate, you are giving money to help organize and provide supplies for these doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel. They are giving their very valuable time. It’s so little for us to purchase a pretty dress to supply them with the medications, supplies and logistics they need to help people.

When I became liaison, I asked the SOS organizers quite pointedly how they were managing the donations they received for this fund raiser. I get a little nervous about donations going through grid citizens as they can potentially be misappropriated in so many ways and I want to know my full donation is going directly to the organization. I was assured that monies were going directly to Doctors without Borders, and indeed, I spoke to the liaison they have at the New York office of Doctors Without Borders. (On Skype—the real person!) He was enthusiastic about the fund raiser and pretty stoked to have his avatar dressed up by the ladies organizing the event. Know this: the money is going DIRECTLY to Doctors Without Borders without any intervention except the cost to cash out via Lindex. No one is claiming a tax deduction, skimming an amount for their services or otherwise touching the donations. The designers’ vendors flip donations immediately over to the MSF avatar, which is solely controlled by the liaison in New York. You can’t get much cleaner than that.

When I saw the dress Alaska Metropolitan had made for the SOS Festival, I was pretty impressed. All monies collected for the sale of this dress (in several color ways including a special one-off auction dress) are being given directly to Doctors Without Borders. That’s a mighty big sacrifice on Alaska’s part because this dress is a sexy-classic mesh piece and great fitting on many body types. It’s the kind of dress that every girl should have in her inventory as it’s sexy, fashionable, and practical all at once. Wear it around the grid, wear it dancing, wear it to a date—it makes the grade. Thanks, Alaska, for this awesome donation!

I was able to match it up with sexy shoes by Celena Galli for Shiny Shabby that include a versatile HUD that let me color portions of the shoe to my liking so I could match them perfectly to the dress. AvaGardner Kungler is offering another of her exquisite jewelry pieces at Shiny Shabby this month, a necklace with dangling gems.

My applier is one of Inka Mexicola’s looks for her gacha at Kustom 9. I love the brows, which are fuller, and the expressive eye makeup. I admit I tinted up the pink lipstick a little more using the HUD for the Catwa Destiny head, and I used the hairbase as well so I had a nice line with my ponytail from Liza Broono for this month’s Hairology.

Summer’s almost over (as evidenced by the gray sky I see outside today). But I can sneak one more day of shorts in before the air turns nippy. The shorts I chose are demin Daisy Dukes from Paul Lapointe and Bastchild Lotus, as always accompanied by a ton of choices in their texture change HUD, from designs on the pockets to the denim color to the belt style and color. I picked red, of course, to match the corset-like top Annie Melson has made for the Mesh Body Addicts event this month. Darling little cowboy boots from Klari55a for the Mesh Body Addicts match this casual look.

I really am loving Shyla Diggs’ new applier for the Catwa heads, so I chose it again for my blog. This time I have used a darker skin tone and pretty freckles with a deep red lip. I especially like that her skins match up with the Belleza body skins, which are so sexy on the body itself. Somehow Shyla and Tricky have added a special sexiness to the skins with the details they have chosen—beautiful collarbones, a shapely belly, even sexy knees. My long thick hair is NoMatch’s featured look for Hairology, long feathered locks with a center part. It’s a perfect last-breath-of-summer ensemble.

I love being so fly, pink and purple, soft and sexy. Ariadna Garrigus’ gorgeous new dress with a versatile texture change HUD fits the bill. I am especially happy that it fits the Belleza Isis body. I am disappointed that so many creators have not chosen to work with the Belleza bodies—the Isis is very sexy and curvy in the right ways and this dress, all my “assets” are shown to their best advantage. I was able to mix and match colors on Celena Galli’s shoes for this round of Mesh Body Addicts to make everything match up.

I wish Shyla Diggs was issuing more skins and appliers. She does the most perfectly beautiful looks with subtle makeups, sensuous creamy skins and an absolutely gorgeous body. If I had a skin I would choose to wear every day to look beautiful, it would most definitely be Shyla’s. With the Destiny Catwa head, it looks absolutely perfect, especially with Shyla’s sexy makeups. I chose to wear Mina Nakamura’s long center-parted hair because the textures are so terrific and the color is a gorgeous blond. I am so fly!

“We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer’s wreckage. We will welcome summer’s ghost.” ~ Henry Rollins

The last few sultry nights of summer are fading into September and the last of the summer blooms are giving their final beautiful show. It’s still warm enough to wear a sexy dress like this one from Doc Eldtritch, the featured look for this month’s Mesh Body Addicts. It includes a texture-change HUD for the belt and zipper. I paired high heel mules from Senzati0n Domenitzo for the Crossroads with my look and beautiful butterfly jewelry that Quixotic Criss has made for the SOS Festival with all proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders. Quixotic includes a texture change HUD for the metals and the gems and earrings do come with the set as well. My nails, from Demi Plessis, are also contributions for the SOS Festival. This beautiful terrace is Maizon Rayna’s SOS Festival featured item. With a full terrace with the gorgeous blooms set upon a rock, it fits beautifully against a mountain or on a shoreline cliff and is also a 100% contribution for Doctors Without Borders.

My stunning skin is Sawsan Secretspy’s newest in-store. With an applier with brows or without and an optional additional lipstick (that I do show here), it looks great on the Catwa Destiny head. This chic bob is Tabata Jewell’s item for this month’s Hairology. I love that Tabata comes up with original and fashionable looks regularly. The lock of hair escaping the look is especially beguiling.

I have been listening to Father John Misty’s song over and over. He is the sex symbol of hipster imho. I put together an eclectic outfit with some pieces I liked recently. First, Mea Carnell is going to tops lately (rather than jewelry) and she made this cute halter for the Cosmopolitan Room with a patchwork of textures. Paired with Sands Leavitt’s booty shorts, it’s a funky cute look, especially with Ever Wonder’s awesome boots for the SOS Festival (which opens September 9), Add a pretty necklace from AvaGardner Kungler for We Love RP, and I am set to go.

Mirja Mills is also at We Love RP with several pieces including this long thick lanky hair, a sexy contemporary style. I really love using Nicole Button’s appliers on the Destiny head—the lips are so sensuous and the eyes pop.

A hot red dress and ankle boots and I am set to go out. Doc Eldritch’s new sexy look, made from 100% original mesh and fit tight to mesh bodies, is a hot look for dancing or other playmaking. Check out the wrinkles, the body shown through the fabric, the great texture. With a texture-change HUD, this dress has it all. I paired up Miffyhoi Rosca’s belted gloves for Shiny Shabby, another piece that includes a versatile texture-change HUD. Pixieplumb Flanagan is offering these snakeskin ankle boots as the donation item for the S.O.S. Festival, a fund-raiser to benefit Medicins Sans Frontieres/Doctors without Borders. Read more about this at their website. The event opens September 9 but I was pretty excited to show this set.

GenesisLab has created a gorgeous new mesh head for the Shiny Shabby event and I am rather taken with this particular one with its beautiful open eyes and luscious lips. A square jawline adds a certain powerful beauty to the face shape and the appliers have a strong brow. GenesisLab is also offering add on makeups—both lipsticks and shadows, which I employed to amp up my look. Kavar Cleanslate has this dramatic glorious “hot” hair as one of his prizes in his Arcade gacha this round. You want drama? Kavar has you covered.